Papyrus sighed. He never intended for this to happen.
Red. Bright red, burning as fiercely as the legendary determination their kind thought would only remain in the stories told by the Queen from hundreds of years ago.
The door closed and his brother, his beloved, turned over to him.
Blue. A deep blue more beautiful than anything he had ever seen, more alluring and mesmerizing than any kind of magic he could've experienced.
He shook his head. Not the time to be thinking about that.
Gold. Sparkling and sharp but oh so gentle and vulnerable at the same time. Wet and shimmering and gorgeous─
"PAPY?" Sans called out, a wooden spatula held in his hand. Something was sizzling on the stove top and the smell hit him before anything else did. His little bro really did get better at cooking after he put his mind into it. "ARE YOU ALRIGHT, BROTHER?"
There was concern in the smaller skeleton's voice. Papyrus forced a smile, pulling out a cigarette despite Blue's protests. "yeah, sansy," he lit it with shaky phalanges and took a long drag. "i'm okay."
Arm thrown clumsily across the cushion and he could feel the couch dipped next to him. He tilted his head. "PAPYRUS," his brother, his blessing, said. "I THOUGHT WE AGREED TO TELL EACH OTHER THE TRUTH AND ONLY THE TRUTH FROM NOW ON?"
The weary tone was evident and he rubbed his eye sockets tiredly.
He did. He promised, and they both know what a promise means to him.
Papyrus sighed. He never intended for this to happen.
"have you ever…" He hesitated, trying to find the right words to say but none would come to him. He swallowed and swallowed with a dry throat, desperately taking another deep drag from his almost blunt cigarette, but the explanation of just how horrifying the situation actually was refused to leave the tip of his magical tongue. And he was fairly certain that a skeleton like himself wasn't supposed to feel a heavy knot in his throat, blocking any syllable that could've escaped.
"Papy?" Sans, his precious, perfect Sans, whispered, his voice strangely quiet. "If you can't find the words, you know we can always…"
"i know, bro." Papyrus sighed again, straightening his spine. A few joints popped and he exhaled in relief. "i know. okay. okay. i can't─you deserve to know."
His. His sweetheart, his darling, his soulmate─
The train of thought in him halted to a stop at that moment.
Sans gave him a warm, reassuring smile and drew his soul out. Papyrus sucked in a sharp breath; it had always felt incredibly good, felt absolutely right whenever his brother does that. His soul, his everything, the culmination of his entire being─
Violated.
Not his, not his but hers─
Let go let go let go─
Don't touch, can't touch, not him, no, not his─
Hers hers hers hers─
"─pyrus! Papyrus!" A panicked, watery voice reeled him back into reality, gasping for air. Tears were streaming from his eye sockets, and someone's arms were wrapping so tightly around him, stopping him from shaking beyond control. His bones rattled, his magic ached, his soul quaking.
It was the most horrible feeling that one could ever feel.
Violated, so utterly violated─
"PAPY, PLEASE!" Was…was that Sans? "TALK TO ME, I BEG YOU! PAPYRUS─"
"okay. i'm okay, bro."
Heavy breathing. Soul pounding frantically in his ribcage, begging to be hidden and protected.
Fear pumping through him, running its course. He wanted to flee. Out of here, before his instincts kick in and he dust his own brother.
His brother. His Blue. His soulmate─
"NO, YOU'RE CLEARLY NOT! THAT─THAT WAS─"
Rejection. He's rejecting the bond, the soul bond they've had and cherished together for years.
Soulmate. His soulmate.
He thought that was only a myth. The one pair of true soulmates that was rumoured to have actually existed were the King and Queen, and even their bond broke when things inevitable went south after the death of their children. No monster believes in that concept anymore.
Destined to be bond to one person and one person only? That…
That's a terrifying thought.
"We're taking you to Undyne," Sans said, quietly, but his tone left no room for objection. "She'll fix this."
"no, bro; we're not." Papyrus panicked. They can't go to the Lab, they just can't.
He can't afford to see her again.
Colors. Colors so bright and vivid it made his sockets burned. His soul burst with happiness and joy and wonder.
When his phalanges touched her tears. Her beautiful, broken tears.
He could feel it in his soul. The way he was pulled to her, the way everything changed. How he saw the world for what it really was. Things turned brilliant, sharp, or maybe they were just dull and faded all his life but he hasn't realized it until he had had a taste of the reality not many have seen before.
She gave him that. An invaluable gift.
He remembered Sans' eyes right before they bonded. Bright and starstruck and full of indescribable joy. The eyes of someone looking at countless years of happiness in front of them, hand in hand with the only person they truly loved.
He remembered her eyes right before everything changed. Sad, full of bitter regret, guilt tainting the pretty golden shades, glimmering briefly. Tears, burning and shaking and the sudden realization─
Soulmate.
She was his soulmate.
Scales, bluer than integrity, than powerful gravity magic, than the river that surrounds the Underground. Surprisingly malleable, yielding, everchanging. Hair, a blazing cascade of silky strands, as red as determination, as the blood staining his phalanges, as the soul of the fallen human. Eyes, captivating and utterly irresistible, rich with hues of gold more beautiful than the crown, more precious than wealth itself, more powerful and confident and deadly than the infamous yellow magic.
Colors. Colors so radiant and magnificent he had to blink twice to make sure he wasn't dreaming. The feeling of her tears was still stuck on the tip of his thumb.
Crystal clear.
Confusion. Denial. Shame.
Relief. Bliss. Love.
An image flashed across his mind. Undyne falling to the floor, trembling in a panic attack, muttering about experiments and failures and guilt, so much guilt, filling up her quivering soul. A memory.
He had scooped her up in his arms without a second thought, wrap her tightly and promised her that everything would be alright.
She had buried her head into the soft fabric of his orange hoodie, into his ribcage, right by his soul, sobbing and apologizing nonstop. He hushed her into silence, rocking back and forth, trying to calm her down.
One touch, just one simple, thoughtless act of wiping away her tears tenderly. His entire life had changed.
That look on her face. The look of pure realization and euphoria.
Dirty. Sinful. Not right.
Papyrus sighed. He never intended for this to happen.